Artists, their work, and current inspiration from MAKE STUDIO

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The Words of an Intern

My name is Jarek Sparaco, I am a graduating senior at the Boy’s Latin School of Maryland. Though I’m typing this on the eve of my graduation, I find myself surprisingly relaxed where I should be excited and perhaps even agitated. I have a terrible habit of fidgeting, particularly scratching at the nail of my right thumb, but even that is negligible. My best guess as to why I’m so relaxed is because of the art studio I’m in currently. It’s called Make Studio and I’ve been interning here for the past two weeks (May 22nd-31st), which gave me invaluable insight into the creative minds of developmentally disabled adults. I watched as the artists developed before my eyes, always trying something new with the undying support of the staff throughout the day. Though my time as an intern there only lasted six days, I feel the experience was more than worth it. Not only did I learn various useful things about artwork, such as how to prime a canvas or take apart a frame, I also learned more about what it feels like to be a contributing part of the community. Make Studio recently had some of their artists make artwork for an upcoming theatrical performace called “Baby Universe”, which looks a bit like a crossover between Star Wars and the Muppets. I was inspired by the artists around me to make a contribution as well, and this is what I came up with-

This artwork is a big step for me because for the first time I am projecting my artwork out into a broader community, hopefully it will be featured with all of the other Baby Universe artwork.

In addition to the contribution to the Baby Universe collaboration, I was also happy to make a contribution to Make Studio’s Sketchbook Project sketchbook. Along with the other artists here, I drew on both sides of a small piece of paper which will be put into a small sketchbook to be displayed in a traveling art museum of sorts. Again, this is a great way for me to get my art out there. Quoting the website that sponsors the nationwide project, the Sketchbook Project is like “a taco truck but with sketchbooks.” The link to that website can be found here. Coming away from this internship, I can definitely say that it will be easier for me to put my art out for a wider range of people to see and I can also see myself considering looking into the profession of art therapy when I attend MICA in the Fall.